No matter how you budget, you have to commit to staying on budget, other wise you are just wasting your time.

Also, don't feel liked you are locked in to that budget for the rest of your life. Update it regularly (every six monthes to a year).

A budget isn't a ball and chain. It can actually free your funds up to make larger purchses that you never thought you could do without credit. By knowing where your money goes you can be more conscious about continuing to spend that money in the same way.

I have been meaning forever to make a budget but as far as I ever get is thinking about it. I make some really good points in my head but never follow through with them in the end. Just plain lazy is my only excuse and over stretching thinking to boot.

Two points.

One, making a grocery list and sticking to it will help cut your spending dramatically. I go a step further and plan a menu so I use what I have in my pantry and frig BEFORE I go shopping for more stuff. It's amazing how much we store!

Second, stick to your budget for one month and use some of the excess funds you end up with to get yourself a treat (maybe a night out, maybe a new toy) then save the rest. It starts to add up quick.

I make lists and more list but they do me no good if I forget to take them. I could stick them to my forehead and forget to look. I do occassionally remember them and plan on printing out some list that I got from a home organization site and making them according to what I buy so I can just check off what I need and forget about the rest.

I'm usually pretty good on not impulse buying but every once in a while I give in, like today I went to the local drug store and they had notebook paper for 20 cents a package, I got 15 (we will use it all within 6 months). I'm thinking that I will probably go back and get some more before they go up to full price.

Buy hotdogs and hamburger meat just before a holiday (like the upcoming labor day). Markets tend to put these on sale for basically nothing in order to draw customers in.

I have a list of items that I want (but don't have to have) like the notebooks. That way if they are on some terrific sale, I get them. Other wise, I wait until they are on sale.

I just found a wholesale meat market that I will be dealing with a lot more in the future. I just got 40 pounds of chicken thighs for $10 and they are actually good. Plus an added bonus is that the meat is either natural or organic which means a lot to me esp., where beef is concerned.

LilOne,

Organic is a big thing with me too, sometimes it's worth it to visit with smaller markets - often they have a direct link with local or regional meats that are organic, corn fed or steroid free. Because of their direct link the prices ARE often better than larger discount markets. - Go figure.

I used to have to go almost 20 miles by bus to get organic beef until the local store started to carry it, but it is so expensive $6 a pound for ground beef that really wasn't that good. Food Lion carries meat that is grain fed but they are expensive too and the quality varies on their meat. I knew this other place as a meat market but just resently found out that the wholesale market was open to the public. They have retail in front but it has been closed down for a while.

The organic part is an extra perk for me cause I was orginally going for the price, with 6 people to feed 40 pounds of chicken thighs for a straight $10 is a really major bargin. When I saw that they had "Jewish" brand beef I knew that I hit the jackpot because of the standards the meat has to go through just to be koshier (don't know if it's organic/natural or not). We got to talking and I found out this woman homeschools her kids just like me and we have a lot in common so I told my husband we have a new place to shop for meat!

It's not easy sticking to a budget. However, if you just take a predetermined amount of cash out of the bank once a week or every other week and put up your credit and atm cards (and checks) then you don't risk the chance of splurging. Budgets take committment.